Yoga is my favorite form of exercise, and while everyone's preference for physical activity is different, I wanted to share a bit about the practice and why I love and teach it. Yoga combines active poses with mindful breathing, teaching you how to fully use your breath during times of stress to relax. Learning how to mindfully use your breath is incredibly useful for labor, and can even help with stress and anxiety in day to day life.

In this post, I'm going to write about something very close to my heart. Miscarriage can feel like a dirty word in the realm of beautiful women and their pregnancies, instagram perfect #babybump posts everywhere. As a Birth Doula, it was heart wrenching to experience a loss and see so much love and life surrounding me. It's taking me a while to see this as a blessing, but it is. I see healing every day in my work.

When we begin to talk about birth planning, there are are a lot of common fears that come up. One of the most prevalent is the fear of tearing during childbirth. It's only natural to be apprehensive and wonder how in the world baby will actually come out!

In this post, I will share the step-by-step process Sublime Motherhood follows to encapsulate a placenta using the Raw Foods Method. I hope to eliminate common myths and misunderstandings, offer information about the safety and techniques I use, and share my passion for this wonderful, holistic services. There are graphic images shared of unprocessed placenta and the capsule filling process in this post!

In our last blog post we covered Round Ligament Pain, so I wanted to talk about another similar source of discomfort some women may experience during pregnancy. Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction, or SPD, affects 31% of all pregnant women. Unfortunately, many are told this is just another "ache and pain" to be dealt with, but for some it can be incredibly painful and make pregnancy much more stressful. Let's take a closer look at what causes it and how we can get some relief.

I can't sleep. It's been a few weeks of these Braxton Hicks contractions, and I'm tired. I roll over in bed and text my Doula about how annoyed I am, how I can't get any rest, and tell her I'm so ready for this pregnancy to be over. I close my phone screen and lie down, closing my eyes for a moment.

Questioning your care provider can be intimidating, let alone interviewing several to decide who will fit your needs best! I'm going to give you the run down on how to focus on the important questions, get the answers you need, and make the best decision possible. First, I want to mention that when you ask these questions, your care provider should be excited to answer them and engage you fully. Yes, they are busy. But anyone that you want to work with should take the time to answer your questions.

You've planned, hoped, and dreamed for this baby. You bought all the teensy tiny newborn clothes, decorated the nursery, and hurdled the trial of labor through to motherhood! So, why can't you stop crying?

In this blog post, I want to touch on a subject that many modern women are unfamiliar with. Sex and sensuality in birth is considered taboo by many, but what if this point of view eliminates one of the most fundamental human tools we have for coping with pain and stress?

The mother breathes through wave after wave of contractions. She begins to push intuitively and soon feels her baby's head, then their shoulders emerge. She exclaims with joy and holds her baby close as the midwife deftly removes the cord looped around his neck and shoulders...

If you've been recently diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes, you were probably given a pamphlet on healthy diet and exercise, had an appointment set with an endocrinologist, and were sent on your way. But what does this diagnosis really mean for your health, your pregnancy, and your baby?

The statistics are absolutely shocking. Even though there are only 200,000 cases of postpartum Diastasis Recti reported each year, sources report anywhere from 2/3 of all women to 98% of mothers experiencing this condition in their lifetime. That means if you're a woman intending to become a mother or already are, this information will be invaluable to you. First things first, this condition cannot be cured. Lifelong care and attention may be needed in extreme cases, but most cases are manageable with minimal effort after the initial recovery period.